Car coupler support and positioning device



May 18, 1948. G|LP|N 1 2,441,625

CAR COUPLER SUPPORT AND POSITIONING DEVICE Original Filed Oct. 18, 1943 ,2 I: l I I l II I! l a n i I I I I :1 ,1 I l II *1 )5 i! 47 WE Z 41 47 47 46 6 mmyron,

, 6& 5126 G fg BY Jszefi G gab Patented May 18, 1948 2,441,025 CAR COUPLER SUPPORT AND POSITIONING DEVICE I Garth G. Gilpin, deceased, late oi. Chicago, m. by

' Jessie B. Giipin, execntrix, Steubenviile, Ohio:

said Garth G. Gilpin asslgnor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Iil., a corporation of Delaware Original application October 18, 1943, Serial No.

Divided and this application March 23, 1946, Serial No. 656,720

7 Claims. (01. 213-61) This invention relates to improvements in railway cars and more particularly to improvements in means for supporting the outer end of a railway car coupler adjacent its head."

The present invention is an improvement over Patent No. 1,923,433 granted to said Garth G. Gilpin on August 22, 1933, and Patent No. 2,308,032

granted to James S. Swannon January 12, 1943,

both of which patents are assigned to the same assignee to which this invention and application will be assigned. This is a division of application Serial Number 506,777, filed Oct. 18, 1943, which has matured into Patent Number 2,401,822, dated June 11, 1946.

One of the objects of-the invention is to support a railway car coupler upon a device which permits the coupler to move horizontally and vertically with the coupler of another car when coupled thereto as the couplers adjust themselves to the curves and unevenness of the track, as well as causes the coupler to return to normal coupling range when free to do so; for instance, when a coupler supported by this device is uncoupled while the railway car is upon a curved track.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient means in a carrier for supporting the outer end of a coupler at a desired elevation during service movements of the car, but which means permits downward and/or lateral movement of the coupler when an additional live load is applied such as when two coupled cars are pulled over a track elevation, hump, vertical curve in the track, or around a curve, and wherein said carrier, when free to do so, will return the coupler to its normal height and simultaneously to a position at least adjacent the center of the car within coupling range.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the service stresses in the coupler by providing a resilient coupler carrier thereby permitting the outer end of the coupler to move vertically so that the center line of coupled couplers will be nearer a straight line, thus reducing the resultant force in the coupler shank. When the force ceases, as when the cars are uncoupled, the resilient carrier returns the coupler'to its normal vertical position, which is an essential in accepted railroad operation when coupling railway cars.

Another object is to resiliently support the coupler by a pair of spaced apart springs and provide means below the coupler to increase the compression upon one spring and-decrease the compression on the other spring upon lateral movement of the coupler so that the unequal compression on the springs urges the coupler toward normal central position when the coupler is free to be so moved; 1. e., when the coupler is not coupled to another coupler. Another object is to position the springs and coupler so that when the coupler isin normal position; i. e., in the middle of the car, the weight thereof is equally distributed between the springs and to provide means to shift the weight of the coupler unequally between the springs as the coupler is moved laterally.

A further object of this improved resilient coupler support and coupler centering device is to prevent jar in the coupler, caused by uneven track and the movement of the coupler on the carrier, from being transmitted by the coupler to adjacent car parts, and furthermore, to reduce the friction and wear between the associated parts.

Another object is to provide a resilient means I which cushions and centers the coupler by maintaining the carrier in adjustment with the coupler and which may be readily and quickly assembled or taken apart: is very light in weight and economical to manufacture.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of an emergency coupler support which functions in the event of failure of any of the component parts of the cushioning or centering device.

Still another object is to provide a cushion car'- rier and centering device which will remain intact and in proper functioning position while the car is being unloaded upside down in, for example, an unloading machine so that it will be capable of functioning when the car is returned to normal upright position.

Still other objects and advantages of this in-- vention will appear in the following description thereof.

Throughout the specification, wherever the term coupler is used, it is understood to mean a standard railway car coupler wherein no provision is made for the coupler to rotate around its longitudinal axis.

In the instant invention and the modifications thereof some of the elements roll, some rock and typical application of the device to a railway car when the device is in normal Position- Figure 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. v

Figures 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating movements and functions of the elements of the device.

Figures 5 and 6 show a modification oithe device.

In Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings the preferred form of the invention is shown applied to a railway car wherein the striking casting is shown generally at 2 and which is attached to the center sill 3 of the car as by rivets for holding the same to the underframe of the car. The car coupler, the shank of which is shown in outline at 5, rests upon the carrier 6 and is retained in central position thereon by the upstanding lugs Eiso as to move laterally with the coupler. The carrier is adapted to move between the spaced apart walls 9 and ill or the striking casting 2 to restrict the movement of the carrier longitudinally of the car, but which walls, of course, permit movement of the carrier and coupler laterally of the car. These walls 9 and II) also provide an emergency coupler support in case of breakage or loss of any of the parts of the device. Furthermore, if the coupler is forced excessively downwardly the coupler engages the walls 9 and iii and relieves the springs 12 of all force except the small force required to compress the springs until the carrier engages these walls 9l0. The under surface of the carrier 6 is provided with a pair of spaced apart, downwardly tapering knobs li-ll about which the upper ends of the correspondingly spaced helical springs l2--l2 seat and are thus held in position against the under surface of the carrier to provide a cushioned support therefor. The spring seat knobs ll--li may be formed on the bottom surface of the coupler shank itself and thus do away with the carrier, but since the device is designed for application to most any form of coupler and as an accessory thereto, it is not practical to have to weld or otherwise attach such knobs to the coupler to apply the device to a car.

Any desired means may be used to keep the ends of the blocks or springs in proper relationship with the carrier and rocker, respectively. Also any desired means may be used to prevent the rocker from slipping upon its support.

It is obvious that in lieu of springs, rubber blocks, or other resilient means, may be applied with like eifect. Also experiments have shown that a device as illustrated and thus far described functions admirably even though one of the resilient means is longer than the other.

When a car to which the device is applied is coupled to another car it is immaterial whether the coupler 5 is centrally or otherwise disposed, but when the coupler 5 associated with the device is not coupled to another car, it is then desirable that the coupler 5 be returned to substantially the middle of the car or to within coupling range of another coupler.

In Figures 3 and 4 the rocker comprises a substantially horizontal member 40 mounted upon a pivot 4| rigidly fixed to the car adjacent the middle thereof. The pivot 4| is substantially midway between the bearing surfaces of the springs 42 on the rocker 40. When the coupler 43 moves laterally the rocker 40 rocks upon the pivot, as

ential on the springs causes the device to return toward normal central position and take the coupler with it when free to do so: i. e., when the coupler is uncoupled from another coupler.

Figures 5 and 6 show a modification similar to that shown in Figures 3 and 4 wherein the supporting pivot for the rocker 46 is above the bearing surfaces of the springs 41 upon the rock'- er, thus providing an inverted T-shaped p ndulum. Figure 6 shows the relative position of the associated parts of this modification when the coupler 48 has moved laterally and how in this position the trailing spring is compressed more than the leading spring.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

This is a division of co-pending application Serial'No. 506,777, filed October 18, 1943.

What is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

'1. A cushioning coupler supporting and positioning device for a laterally and vertically movable coupier for a railway car, which car is provided with a fixed pivot adjacent the middle of the car below the coupler, said device comprising a rocker mountable upon said pivot to rock in a plane laterally of the car, and spaced parallel springs upon said rocker to support said coupler normally equi-distant on opposite sides of said pivot when the device is applied to a car, the rocker being so shaped that when the coupler is moved in horizontal planes laterally of the car the rocker rocks upon said pivot and compresses shown in Figure 4, so that the compression of I the trailing spring is increased, while the compression of the leading spring is decreased, so that the unequal compression or pressure differthe trailing spring while relieving the leading spring thus providing a pressure differential between the springs and providing a restoring moment to urge said rocker and said coupler to normal position when free to do so.

2. A cushioning coupler supporting and positioning device for a laterally and vertically movable coupler for a railway car, which car is provided with a fixed pivot adjacent the middle of the car below the coupler, said device comprising a rocker mountable upon said pivot to rock in a plane laterally of the car, and spaced parallel resilient means upon said rocker to support said coupler normally equi-distant on opposite sides of said pivot when the device is applied to a car, the rocker being so shaped that when the coupler is moved in horizontal planes laterally of the car the rocker rocks upon said pivot and compresses the trailing resilient means while relieving the leading resilient means thus providing a pressure differential between said means and providing a restoring moment to urge said rocker and said coupler to normal position when fre to do so.

3. A cushioning coupler "supporting and positioning device for a laterally and vertically movable coupler for a railway car, which car is provided with a fixed pivot adjacent the middle of the car below the coupler, said device comprising a coupler carrier adapted tosupport the coupler and move laterally and vertically therewith, a rocker upon said pivot to rock in a plane laterally of the car, and spaced parallel springs mountable upon said rocker to support said carrier normally equi-distant on opposite sides of said pivot when the device is applied to a car, the rocker being so shaped that when the coupler is moved in horizontal planes laterally of the car the rocker rocks upon said pivot and compresses the trailing spring while relieving the leading spring thus providing a pressure differential between the springs and providing a restoring moment to urge said rocker,

carrier and coupler to normal position when free comprising a pivot fixed tothe car adjacent the middle 01 the car, arocker pivotally supported by said pivot, and spaced apart springs to transmit the weight of the coupler to said rocker at points normally equi-distant on opposite sides of said pivot, whereb as the coupler is moved laterally the rocker rocks on said pivot and the compression on one spring is increased and the compression on the other spring is decreased so that the unequal compression of the springs urges said device and coupler to normal central position when said coupler is tree-to be so'moved,

6. A member, adaptedfor cooperation with the striking casting of a railway car having a conpler, said striking casting provided with longitudinally spaced walls to provide an emergency support for the coupler, and a pivot extending. between'said walls, said member having a bearing portion between the ends thereof adapted for cooperation with said pivot to provide a rockable union or said member with said striking casting between said walls, said member adapted to sup-.

port resilient means to normally support said coupler.

'7. A striking casting, adapted for attachment to a railway car, having. longitudinally spaced walls positioned to provide an emergency support for the coupler, and a pivot extending between said walls adjacent the middle of the car, said pivot adapted to support a rocker between said walls for rocking movement transversely of the car, said rocker adapted to support resilient means-to normally support said coupler. a

I .rnssm B. GILPIN, Executria: of Estate ofGarth G. Gilpin, Deceased. 

